Burglary suspect arrested after high-speed chase in North and South Carolina

Sunday

Aug 25, 2013 at 3:12 PM

A burglary suspect being held at gunpoint by officers stole a car at knifepoint at a convenience store and led officers on a high speed chase in North and South Carolina before being taken into custody Sunday, according to the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.

By Jenny Arnoldjennifer.arnold@shj.com

A burglary suspect being held at gunpoint by officers stole a car at knifepoint at a convenience store and led officers on a high speed chase in North and South Carolina before being taken into custody Sunday, according to the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said Chad Hollingsworth, 34, of 280 S. Lee St., Chesnee, was arrested near Lake Blalock following the incident and taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. A Chesnee police officer fired shots at Hollingsworth but he was not hit. The suspect was hit with Tasers during a confrontation with Chesnee police, Wright said.Hollingsworth was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Facility about 7:50 p.m. and was charged with aggravated assault and battery, blue light violation, reckless driving, second-offense driving under suspension and a Pacolet magistrate court bench warrant, according to online jail records.According to a written statement and incident report from the sheriff's office, a deputy responded to assist a Chesnee officer with a burglary suspect. The deputy arrived on Highway 221 to find the officer standing in the middle of the highway with Hollingsworth, who was holding a knife. The officer and deputy drew their guns on Hollingsworth, the incident report states.Hollingsworth tried to get into a truck there, but then went to a house on North Alabama Avenue in Chesnee, though officers had him at gunpoint and ordered him to stop, according to the report. Hollingsworth tried to open the front door of the house and the deputy shot him with a Taser. The Taser seemed to have no effect on Hollingsworth, who ran to the Hot Spot on Highway 221 near the Cherokee County line, Wright said. At the gas station, he succeeded in taking a Monte Carlo parked at a gas pump with the keys in the ignition. Officers again ordered Hollingsworth to drop his knife,Hollingsworth got into the Monte Carlo and both the sheriff's deputy and Chesnee officer tried to get him out of the car, the report states. Hollingsworth began to drive away and the deputy removed himself from the car. The report states that the Chesnee officer was still in the driver's side as Hollingsworth drove away, and the deputy heard two gunshots before the officer got away from the car.Hollingsworth led deputies from Spartanburg, Cherokee and Rutherford County in North Carolina on what Wright called a high speed chase, before he drove back into Spartanburg County. Deputies lost him, but one deputy checked known drug areas in the northern part of Spartanburg County and found Hollingsworth, and the chase began again, according to Wright.Two Spartanburg deputies were able to hit the Monte Carlo, causing Hollingsworth to crash on Casey Creek Road. Hollingsworth climbed out of the car window and ran, but deputies hit him with a Taser again and he was handcuffed, Wright said."This potentially could have been as ugly as you wanted it to get," Wright said. "I'm glad the suspect didn't die. Deputies had two opportunities to shoot the guy, but they didn't. I'm proud of these officers, and this is why I'm always asking County Council for a pay raise for them. They do more than what we pay them."The State Law Enforcement Division is also investigating, which is standard when officers fire their guns. Hollingsworth remained in jail Sunday night awaiting a bond hearing.